A mother and her five-year-old daughter were injured in a crash with a police car which was in pursuit of another vehicle , Essex Police have said.

The marked police BMW 530 had its blue lights and sirens on when it collided with a family's silver Audi A3 at the Sadlers Farm roundabout at Bowers Gifford near Basildon in Essex.

The woman driving the Audi suffered serious leg and chest injuries while her young daughter, who was in the back seat, sustained minor neck injuries in the crash just before 1pm today, police said.

The mother was taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition. Her husband was uninjured in the crash.

Two male police officers were also hurt and taken by paramedics to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.

Police said the marked car was in hot pursuit of another vehicle as part of a response to an automatic number plate recognition alert when it crashed.

An investigation has been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Nearby roads were closed for some hours while teams removed crash debris.

An East Anglia ambulance service spokeswoman said they were called just before 1pm and sent two ambulances to the scene. She said: "There was a patient trapped and we conveyed that patient to Basildon Hospital. We discharged a husband and a child at the scene."

It comes after a 22-year-old woman was taken to hospital after being hit by a police car in east London last night.

The car had its sirens on when it struck the pedestrian at around 11.30pm on the Kingsland Road in Hackney.

The woman was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service where she was last night in a stable condition.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the police car was on its way to an incident before the collision occurred.

The collision has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for consideration.

Essex Police are urging anyone with information about the crash to call their Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 01245 240590 or email collisionappeal@essex.pnn.police.uk